


Comic Con

by casstayinmyass



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bottom Dean, Bottom Dean Winchester, Comic-Con, Convention Romance, F/F, F/M, Geek Castiel, Geek Dean, M/M, Nerd Dean, Outgoing Cas, Punk Castiel, San Diego Comic-Con, Shy Dean, Social Anxiety, Top Castiel, Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester, socially awkward dean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-22
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-04-16 16:53:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4632873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casstayinmyass/pseuds/casstayinmyass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean Winchester is a nerd, just like his sister Charlie, and when he gets badges to San Diego Comic Con, he's ecstatic. One fateful night, in the longest line in con history, Dean meets Castiel, and they become good friends. In only 5 days, can Dean shed his social angst, and can Cas realize just how hard Dean's fallen for him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Yaaay Nerd!Dean/Punk!Cas!!! I went to SDCC this year, and I wrote this first chapter before I left- the SPN panel was amazing (the AKF tealights made me cry, I still have mine) and I met Mark Sheppard on the Exhibit Floor! *dies* Planning to go back next year, but in the meantime, here's some hot Destiel and Comic Con. What could be better? Will update soon!

Charlie was incredibly, wholeheartedly, insatiably jealous that her brother was going to the all pinnacle heaven of nerd-dom. When open online registration was on, Dean had called Charlie early that morning, praying to Yoda that they would get tickets. The whole thing sounded a little something like this:

"Come ON!"

"Jesus Christ, please!"

"Dear Odin, I'll do anything."

"Give me a SIGN!"

"I find our lack of badges disturbing!"

"I never wanted the throne! All I ever wanted was to have a badge!"

"I'll never let go!"

"...Really? Your quoting Titanic right now, dude?"

"What? That counts as pop culture..."

They were in the middle of adamantly obsessing over the spinning blue circle of death, each throwing out their best references to somehow win points with the comic con gods that were overseeing this transpiration.

"Dammit, are you in yet?"

"No... no, not yet..."

"Neither am I..." Dean chewed the inside of his lip, looking away from his screen out the window. He saw some people who looked about his age, 19, out walking a dog and laughing like social people did.

He idly squinted, wondering what it was like to walk a dog on a sunny day. He had never tried it of course, because a), he had never owned a dog, and b), he spent too much time playing WoW and live-blogging with his sister to notice it was even sunny out when it was.

Dean turned back to his screen, rubbing his bottom lip pensively. And he cried out, almost jumping and sending his laptop crashing. "Shit," he muttered, steadying it as if it were gold, which it god damn was in this moment.

"What?" Charlie hissed.

"WE'RE IN!" Dean cheered, taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes, because he hadn't actually blinked properly probably in the last five minutes in suspense.

"WHAT?! HOLY- ARE YOU SHITTING ME?"

"NO, I'M NOT EVEN SHITTING YOU, CHARLIE, IT'S RIGHT HERE!"

"HOLY AWESOMENESS, BATMAN!"

"I KNOW, RIGHT?!"

Then, Dean heard a knocking noise from upstairs, where his grumpy neighbor, Frank Devereaux, was obviously clunking his broom to shut him up. "Sorry Mr. Devereaux!" Dean called up awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Screw that old hack, we're goin' to Comic Con!" Charlie grinned on the line. Dean cracked a smile too, because he never, ever thought he would be so up on his luck.

Then something horrible happened. Something so awful, generations of brethren would speak in hushed whispers about it...

Charlie got an email- that morning, it had to be that morning- from her boss, Zach, about an important workshop all I.T. employees had to attend from July 20th to the 29th. She was after a position, and if she wanted a promotion, she had to go to it. Normally, she would have told her boss to stick it, but right now, she was barely making ends meet, and her apartment was riding on her job.

Needless to say, she had cursed out said boss in many different languages, including Ferengi, Vulcan, Elven, even Shyriiwook. And Dean just held the phone away from his ear for the good straight five minutes it took; when Charlie had caught her breath, he had started expressing his pointless sympathies.

"I'm real sorry," he mumbled.

"No you're not. You get to go, why would you be?" Dean could hear the bitterness in her voice, but he knew she wasn't sulky enough to not be happy for him. She wasn't like that.

"I'll bring you back an exclusive or somethin'."

"You better."

"What do you want?"

"Surprise me, you know what I like."

"Yeah, okay. So... single badge, four day plus preview?" he asked sadly. She huffed a defeated sigh.

"Yeah..." Dean wanted to hug his sister, knowing she must be in tears.

She kept speaking. "You have to call me all the time and give me updates. And Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Put yourself out there, will ya? I won't be there to flaunt you in hot dude's faces."

Dean blushed, and scratched his neck. He was a very shy person, and Charlie was not. She wore her geekdom on her sleeve, and well... Dean wasn't the first to go out and let his nerd banner fly, excusing the fact that he was the walking image of one, with big glasses and downcast eyes. Occasionally he wore an old Lord of the Rings shirt or something, or maybe a House Stark baseball cap, but Charlie was the one who literally went to her college classes in decked out cosplay.

Like, it wasn't even that he was a scrawny guy; he was quite well built, and he had been told by many girls (that he wasn't interested in, and was only being polite to) that he had the back muscles of a god. That was why he never went swimming at public pools anymore...

He laughed to himself. He would never have Charlie's courage.

"Yeah, I'll try."

"I mean it! There's probably some really cute, nerdy guy waiting for you there." Dean frowned. He didn't really want a guy who reflected himself. Maybe that's why he didn't have a boyfriend... his standards were too high.

"Earth to Dean! I'll be a good sister and help you plan your sched, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Charlie. Sorry again you couldn't go. Your boss is a real dick."

"Tell me about it... the _baktag_ _d'blok!_ "

Dean assumed that was Klingon for A Level douchebag.

-0-0-0-

The five months that went by in between registration and the actual week was spent preparing, planning, scheduling, and once the days became limited, packing.

"Okay," Charlie said, eating cheetos on Dean's couch, "Got your wallet?"

"Yup," Dean nodded, pulling out his batman pouch.

"Kay. Sleeping bag for Hall H?"

"Definitely."

"Alright... camera?"

"Yeah."

"Phone? Phone charger? Laptop?"

"All there."

"How much money you bringing?"

"What are you, the border guard?"

Charlie threw a cheeto at him, which Dean masterfully caught and popped in his mouth. "400," he answered.

"Adequate," Charlie noted, huffing into a pillow. "I still wish I was going with you."

"Me too," Dean mumbled, "I've got no one to drive with, and I don't do talking real well... I don't know how I'm gonna travel on my own."

"You'll be fine! You're charismatic when you want to be." Dean stared at her.

"Okay, fine, you prefer a more quiet, reserved lifestyle. But like I said before- hopefully, you'll find someone there that'll change that!"

"Shut up!"

"Fight me."

"I will."

"I'll win."

"Why?"

"Cause I play more Mortal Kombat than you."

"You do not!"

"Oh yeah? Where do Liu Kang's allegiances lie?"

"...Earthrealm?"

"No, you twink! White Lotus."

Dean fell beside her on the couch, polishing his glasses in distress. "Dammit."

"Told ya," Charlie smirked, smacking his arm.

"I could beat you in Batman trivia any day," he grumbled sorely.

"Don't be so sure."

"Fuck off!"

"Not yet, we're not done packing."

She hopped over to the suitcase. "Okaaay... ooh, missing one thing!"

"What? _Condoms?_ " Dean deadpanned in jest. Charlie smirked.

"Nah, if he's a real man, he'll provide the protection." Dean found himself blushing red as Charlie went on.

"Cosplay!"

"Oh shit, you're not gonna make me wear that Jon Snow gear, are you?"

"You have to! I'm not there to be a kickass Lady Sif, so you have to do something to represent!"

"No. People will be looking at me. Not happening."

"You're so closed minded sometimes..."

"Yeah, well, you're so nerdy sometimes."

Then they looked at each other, and bust a gut laughing.

-0-0-0-

"Bye!" Charlie called over the phone from her workshop as Dean sat in his airplane seat. He couldn't help but grin wildly as he prepare for the trip, and let slip a similar sounding goodbye as he closed out of the call.

He was going to Comic Con.

And even though it was without his trusty sidekick (or trusty hero and social saviour, as she would most likely see it), he was going to have an awesome time.

-0-0-0-

When they arrived in San Diego, Dean had been listening to his favorite Metallica songs on repeat through his earbuds, because flying wasn't his favorite thing in the world. He was happy to get off, and to his hotel.

The hotel he had gotten was kind of far away from the convention centre, which sucked, but at least he had gotten a room at all. Also, he had had to get roomies to pay for the cost, because as it turned out, even a room half an hour away from downtown cost more than the actual con.

He was nervous about sharing a room... like, being anti social was one thing. But being anti social and having to share your room with two other people? Panic attack.

Dean sucked in a breath as the cab pulled up at the place. He thanked the guy, and took his bags. As he checked in, he contemplated just staking out and camping here... but he was letting the anxiety of it all get to him. They were nerds, just like him! He had nothing to worry about.

He cracked open the door, and was greeted very abruptly by a young woman with blonde hair. "Hey!" she cried, wrapping her arms around him. Dean stiffened, and the woman pulled back, grinning. "I'm Joanna Beth Harvelle! But don't you dare go calling me that, it's Jo if anyone asks."

Dean nodded slowly, and Jo scampered over, hitting a guy with a mullet that Dean hadn't even noticed out of sleep on the far bed. "Get off my bed shit-face, our roomie has arrived!"

"Buenos Dias, are you Carrie Fisher?"

"Uh, no..." Dean answered.

"Then I don't give two shits about you- g'night!"

Jo rolled her eyes. "Ah Ash, what a charmer." She shoved him off of 'her bed' with a thump, and turned to Dean.

"So! What're you hear for?" Dean swallowed, placing his stuff on his bed.

"Um... Comic Con?"

"Duh, silly- I'm talking about fandoms. What do you like? Wait, lemme guess... Avengers? Walking Dead?"

Dean shrugged. "Fantasy Sci Fi's more my thing."

"Now you're talkin'!" Ash said, suddenly conscious, "Please say you like Star Wars."

"Ash's mad for Star Wars," Jo explained.

"Yeah, I can dig Star Wars," Dean nodded.

"I like you..." Ash said, pointing at Dean, "I'm off my rocker about the new one. It's gonna be BALLS!" 

"Who was your first nerd-crush?" Jo interrupted.

"I… I don't really know..."

"Come on, everyone had one!"

Dean blushed. "Um... it's a close cross between Han Solo and Captain Kirk. Probably Kirk though, if I had to choose." A flicker of understanding came across Jo's face.

"OMG!" (She literally said the acronym). "You and I have more things in common than one, we both fuck dudes!" Dean's eyebrows shot up at how blunt she was about it, but yeah, he supposed she was right.

"Mine was Tom Hiddleston!"

"Still is, dammit," Ash grumbled, "All I hear about 24/7, Loki this, Hiddleston that!"

"Shut the hell up, Ash, I'm a fangirl!"

"I've noticed."

"Oh, like you're any better!"

Dean smiled a little, and Jo quirked her head. "Not the talking type, are you?" Dean shook his head.

"Nah... I'm more of the quiet guy who everyone looks at and whispers, 'hey, I didn't even know that guy came to these lectures.'" Jo snorted.

"What are you studying?"

"Engineering," Dean said, pushing up his glasses.

"Excellent," Ash said, sounding befittingly like Mike Myers from Wayne's World, "I'm a computer kinda guy. Graduated from MIT two years ago, full ride."

"I'm at NYU now," Jo added, "Acting program!" Dean could see why.

"You been to SDCC before?" Jo asked curiously.

"No," Dean replied, "I've been to a couple smaller ones where I'm from... my sister and I have been wanting to come here for years, but we've never been lucky enough to get badges."

"Your sister?" Ash asked, interested, "She comin' too?" Dean shook his head.

"Job stuff."

"Oh, that sucks!" Jo exclaimed, "Damn... we've been using the force or something, cause we've gotten badges for at least one of the days for four consecutive years," she said, "Tip: head straight for the Funko booth first. Exclusives galore!" Dean nodded.

"Well, we should turn in. Big day tomorrow, preview night," Ash yawned.

"You've been sleeping all afternoon, why are you tired?" Jo snapped incredulously, then she gasped over-dramatically. "How about we all go out to the Gaslamp district and get smashed to prepare for this kick-ass week?!"

Dean felt himself recoil at the idea, and Jo laughed a little. "Fine, I can tell you hate that idea. I guess I'll have to find myself some company to make up for you two stiffies."

"Nope, the stiffies come tomorrow, after extensive female cosplay viewing," Ash commented, and once again, Jo shoved him.

Dean smirked again as he settled into his bed and took off his glasses. His roommates weren't that bad, and he could already feel himself becoming comfortable around them. The thing was, he wouldn't see them very often anyway, so it didn't matter. But it helped to not have totally douchey people sharing his room.

-0-0-0-

The next day, Dean slept in, because he knew he should get as much sleep as possible. He spent the day touring around the marina area, committing the places to memory so he would remember the various lineups. He prided himself in having a photographic memory.

Before he knew it, 6:00 was approaching, so he got in line for his badge. He was secretly checking around to see if there were any good looking males in say, super ripped shape parading around as Captain America or something, cause maybe a little eye candy would calm his nerves now. Or maybe just get him worked up... this whole thing was much more complicated alone.

He got to the front, received his badge, and slung it over his neck. He made his way right for the Funko booth first; as Jo had said the night before, they sell out their exclusives fast, so it's the first stop.

 _Ha._ A half hour later, it seemed like a friggin' joke getting into that booth. Jo wasn't kidding- he should've gotten there earlier. The line had been capped so early on, there was no chance of getting in that night... so Dean went around, trying to find a knockoff booth that had the same figures, if that was possible. Eventually, he did, but the prices were skyrocketed... figures. Well, whatever.

As he scanned the wall for some good vinyl figures, he felt his phone vibrate. He picked up. "Hello?"

"So?!" It was Charlie.

"So what? I'm still a rock star. I got my rock moves-"

"Don't start quoting Pink to me when I'm not there to sing it with you. How is it?"

"It sucks, be glad you didn't come."

"What?!"

"I'm kidding, I was simply trying to be an awesome brother and make you feel better."

Charlie huffed, but Dean could hear her smile. "Are you in the Exhibit Hall right now? Sounds like a crowd."

"Yeah, at the... ripoff Funko booth." Before Charlie could ask what that was, Dean continued. "Speaking of which, you want Hermione: Ravenclaw Edition, or Rainbow Dumbledore?"

"What do you think?"

"Yeah, okay," Dean said, lifting a Hermione out.

"See any good, sexy slave Leia cosplays yet?" she asked, and Dean scanned the crowd.

"Not yet... but there is one fine looking Captain Hammer out there... wait, that's Nathan Fillion! Shit, Charlie!" Charlie groaned.

"I wish I was theeeeere."

"I knoooow. But I swear I'll call you again tomorrow, give you an update. Oh, by the way- you would really like my roommates. One's this super smart guy I'm convinced doubles as a stoner, and his best friend- her name's Jo- she's cute and blonde... or I assume you'd find her cute, don't take my word for it."

"Answer me this- how come my gay brother gets to sleep in a room with a hot girl while I have to brood around here with my pervy middle aged manager?"

There was a faint, _"I heard that- off the phone!"_ in the background, and Dean cringed, chuckling a little. "I don't know, but unfortunately, she's straight."

"All the best ones are," Charlie sighed.

"Tell me about it..." Dean muttered, shaking his head as he watched the Firefly star walk by.

"Okay, well, gotta go. Enjoy the night! Buy good stuff!" she said, and Dean nodded.

"I will. Talk later."

"Peace out, my bitch."

He hung up, stuffing his phone away again and pushing up his glasses. He decided on a Captain Picard to complete his Trek collection, and bought a limited edition Jon Snow with a cape as well. So far, he was totally scoring.

When Preview Night was over, he checked over his schedule. He didn't have any panels tomorrow, but he did have to get in line for a big Hall H DC panel that night for the next morning, which he was only going to for Batman, pretty much. Comic books weren't his favorite, but there was something to be said about the classic character, especially since, depending on his daily mood, Dean either wanted to fuck him or be him.

-0-0-0-

The next morning when he woke up, sun shone through the drapes, and Dean found that he was alone in the hotel room. He thought back to the schedule, and remembered vaguely that there was some panel today featuring Crimson Peak, a new movie Tom Hiddleston was in. Jo must have dragged poor Ash up at 3 AM at least.

He smiled, rolling over. He was dressed in his Darth Vader boxer briefs, with a simple black tee over his top half. He was alone, which meant a nice relaxing shower.

He stripped down, and got in, loving the feel of the water. Then he got to thinking... what if Charlie was right about meeting someone here? It was a small part of his conscience that was feeding him this, of course, because he doubted it with 90% of his being, but was there even a chance...?

 _Come on, who would want me?_ he thought, _I'm shy, I don't talk unless it's someone I know really well, I've got social anxiety... what about me is appealing? What about me is hot, even?_

He sighed as he stepped out, but didn't let those thoughts bring him down. He would still have a good day, because Comic Con really wasn't about meeting your true love and living happily-nerdy-after.

...was it?

Evidently, he forgot about all of that once he hit the floor again, wandering around. He was fascinated by the artist's booths, and picked up a glowing batman ring (he's a big fan, okay?), and found a really stylish airbrush print of the TARDIS. Charlie will love him for this.

He checked the time. He still had a fair amount of time to go before he had to be in line for Hall H… he checked the schedule over. He was far from finishing up the floor, but maybe it would be fun to attend that Battlestar Galactica panel in Ballroom 20. He always had a soft spot for that show, and bonus, Tahmoh Penikett was going to be there; there had been many times Dean had admittedly dreamt in detail about that man's abs…

So he made his way over, and lined up.

Later, when five o'clock rolled around, people were beginning to thin out, and Dean decided it was about time to get in line. He closed his eyes, remembering where he had found the area before, and walked over. Someone bumped into him, and he saw her dressed in a slave Leia costume. _Better tell Charlie_ , Dean thought absently. 

"Oops," she said seductively, eyes running over Dean's body, "Sorry." Dean shrugged his jacket a little tighter.

"Um, no worries at all." The girl stood for a while longer, almost waiting for him to ask for a picture of something, but when he just awkwardly looked at his feet, she gave a small smile, and kept going.

Dean scratched his head, and sat down where the line was. There was a fair amount of people already, but since he had gotten there so early, it wasn't too crazy yet. Most people usually start coming around 9, he had heard. He set up behind this guy who was wearing a blue T shirt, and had black ruffled hair. Dean couldn't see what he looked like, but he noticed his arms both covered by sleeves of tattoos. He was turned around, playing something on a gaming device.

Dean smiled in relief. Good. That meant no chatting. He hated chatting.

He took out his own book, which was the third in the Game of Thrones series he was re reading. Just then, Dean heard the guy's phone go off.

"Avengers Assemble!"

Dean smirked a little, hiding behind his glasses. He saw the guy check his phone, then sigh a little, deflating then dropping his phone again.

Dean went back to reading.

At 7:00 PM, Dean was almost finished speed-reading his book, when he felt a hand on his arm. He almost jumped, and he looked up in surprise.

"Hey! Could you please hold my spot? I gotta go to the bathroom."

It was the guy in front of him.

Dean searched for words, but words didn't come to him, because Dean's insides felt like the pits of Mordor right now from looking at him. His blue eyes were bright even in the dimming daylight, his cheekbones the only things Dean cared about in that moment with his thin, glistening lips, and that ring through his eyebrow was stupidly appealing, Dean didn't have a kink for punk guys, right?

"Uh… so can you?" he asked, and Dean snapped back.

"Yeah! Yes. Sure, I mean… totally. But, like, um… yeah. Sorry." The guy smirked a little in amusement, and went dashing off.

Dean had to catch his breath. Forget men in spandex suits, line guy was gorgeous… and don't even mention his voice, god, it was a perfect mixture of rough edginess and melting honey… He thought about it as he closed his eyes, dreaming for a few minutes. 

"Sorry if I caught you at a disadvantage," the guy said, and Dean didn't even realize he was back.

"Hm?" 

"Well, I know that when I'm reading, I hate being distracted."

Dean smiled shakily. "No… it's fine, I don't mind."

He expected the guy to turn back to his game, but he searched Dean's face. "I'm Castiel Novak," he said, jutting his inked hand out. Dean shook it nervously.

"I'm Dean Winchester."

"Dean Winchester… that's a really cool name. You should be on Game of Thrones or something." Dean blushed.

"Thank you… I guess your name sounds kind of Elven… you should live in Rivendell or something."

It was Castiel's turn to laugh, and it was an amazing sound, loud and crisp and his eyes crinkled as he did so. Dean's stomach clenched.

"So, Dean Lannister- that's what I'm calling you now, because Stark makes me think of Tony and you're too shy to be him- what brings you here alone?" Dean bit his lip.

"My sister couldn't come… job hold up."

"Eee. That's sucky." Dean nodded, picking at a blade of grass. Castiel paying any attention to him was making him feel a little flushed.

"I was going to come with somebody… but then we had a falling out, and she sold her ticket."

_She._

Dean tried his best to hide how disappointed he felt. No dice on sexy line guy, then. It was a long shot, anyway.

"Mhm?" Dean nodded, and Cas went on, running a hand through his black hair.

"Yeah, Meg's her name. She told me she thought all my nerd stuff was weird, and that she wasn't going to degrade herself at a place like this." Dean felt bad for him, the way he talked about it. He looked hurt, and by all the nerdy stuff he had tattooed up his arms, he had a real passion for this stuff.

But then his face brightened into pure sunshine again. "But hey, I'm here, and I just made a new friend, so screw Meg and her opinions, right?!" Dean was surprised; Castiel considered him a friend already.

_Well, alright. If not possible interest, friend is second best._

"You a... big fan of comics?" Dean asked, trying to reciprocate the interaction. Cas held his shirt out a little, and Dean saw that it had WW for Wonder Woman on it.

"Yep. Comics are my MO. You?"

"I'm more into fantastical worlds and stuff…"

"You should try Thor then!" Castiel said enthusiastically, "That's exactly what it's about!" Dean made a mental note to read a Thor or two, and maybe watch the movie like Charlie had been trying to get him to do when he got home.

"I'll take that into consideration," Dean nodded.

"So you like Star Trek?" Cas asked, nodding to Dean's shirt. It had the Enterprise on it.

"Yup. NCC-1701 A. That was a much simpler time."

"Tell me about it! In my opinion, the show was more interesting back then, but in the Next Gen NCC-1701 D, Picard really took better care of the ship."

"Oh fuck yeah, 'specially since Kirk blew up the first one. But he's still my captain… always will be."

"Really? I'm undecided... Sway me."

"Kirk always gets the job done. He shows the entire universe who's the boss, and no one dares question him. Except for McCoy, but that's for an entirely different reason. And… I kinda think he's attractive," Dean added, sheepishly pausing.

Cas' eyebrows raised, and Dean thought he saw a flicker of something indefinable come across his face, but then he broke out into a wide smile. "Okay. Consider me part of the team. I'll be… first officer. I suck at science, so I couldn't work in sick bay or anything."

"I'd be ship's engineer. Beam me up, Scotty, y'know?" Dean attempted a joke and a lopsided smirk. Cas laughed.

"I cann'a do it, Captain," he imitated, "You've slept with one too many green women, and now we can't find a way out of your perpetual diseases!" Dean grinned, breaking out into full on giggles at how much he sounded like him.

Then he realized what had just happened- he felt loose, comfortable, like he was in his comfort zone with this guy. They had just shared a joke, and Dean was liking him, but he had a girlfriend, and _ohh_ … he rubbed his forehead.

"You know," Cas murmured, "We're all crazy sons of bitches lining up overnight."

"Yeah, I guess so… what if we get robbed or something?"

"We'll take shifts," Cas winked, and Dean felt his chest pang at the gesture.

"Alright," Dean smiled a little, watching as Cas took out a pillow.

It was maybe around 3 that Dean did end up falling asleep. He was excited beyond belief, and it was hard to fall asleep due to this, but he had to, or he'd probably fall asleep during the panel.

-0-0-0-

"Hey Dean! Wake up," Castiel said, nudging him out of sleep.

"Huh?" Dean mumbled, eyes slipping open. He fumbled for his glasses, and took in his surroundings, remembering where he was. Hall H line…right.

"Line's moving," Castiel smiled in a gravelly, just-woke-up voice, "I guess we did a shitty job of taking shifts… we both conked out at some point." Dean nodded, staring up at him as he got his stuff packed up. Castiel's hair was askew a little in the morning, even more so than usual, and his eyes were squintier; Dean loved the sight of it.

He quickly got up, trying to push those thoughts out of his head.

They made it into the panel, and it was the single coolest thing Dean had ever experienced. Everyone was hyped up, and getting to see his favourite actors at the front of the room, breathing the same air as him… it was, quite frankly, magical.

After it was finished, Dean assumed he would just go back to the floor, because he had been meaning to check out the Capcom booth. So he got up, wondering if he was ever going to see line guy- Castiel- again. Probably not, he thought, so he just got up without a second look. It was fun talking to him while it lasted- but there was no making someone gay, and that thought applying to that situation really put a damper on his mood. He slung his backpack over his shoulder with a sigh, and made his way out and around, on his way to the floor.

Just then, he heard Castiel's unmistakable voice behind him. "Hey!" He jogged up beside him. "Mind if I join you?" Dean stuttered for a second.

"Uh, n-no. Like, no I don't mind."

"Cool. Awesome panel, huh?"

"Yeah… I never thought I'd get to see those guys, ever."

"That's why Comic Con is so fun."

"Oh… you been here before?"

"Only once. But I was young, so it's hard to remember exactly what went on. I just have a vague understanding of the place."

Dean nodded again, and Cas squinted at him, cocking his head. "You don't say much, do you?" Dean laughed.

"You're the second person who's figured that out in the last 24 hours."

"Sorry… just an observation."

"Well, your observation's right… I'm really not speaker of the year." Cas grinned.

"That's fine. I can do all the talking. I like to talk, if you haven't already guessed."

Dean smirked as they walked over to the Hall D entrance to the floor. "Sounds good to me."

Maybe things were looking up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I went back and changed Cas to a punk, (so I suggest going back at doing a refresh readthrough of chapter one, since I'm reviving this fic) so hope y'all don't mind <3  
> Also, I just got tickets for SDCC 2016 in pre-reg so hope to see some of you there! (Wish I could see Ash, Jo, Dean, and Cas there ;) )  
> xx

Dean watched intently as Castiel bounced around the booths; he was so energetic, Dean had to wonder if the guy wasn't on coke or something... and not the cola, either.

But it was refreshing, and he couldn't help but smile along with him and pretend he was listening to what he was saying, when really, all he was doing was admiring his body.

Cas was tall, a few inches short of Dean's own height, and he had just enough muscle definition in his arms to qualify him as athletic. He looked like a runner, at least.

"So, _that_ was how my cat came to be known as General Grievous," Cas obviously finished, grinning over at Dean as he rolled a Merlin mug over in his hands.

Dean smiled back. "That's one badass name for a cat, dude."

"Tell me about it, right? Again, it's something that Meg hates, but... love me or leave me, I guess."

Dean nodded. This Meg girl sounded like a real bitch, but a hot bitch, as Cas had so blatantly labelled her.

"I don't have any pets," Dean commented, "I... don't think I'd be too good with them."

"Well, my kitty isn't that high maintenance. I love cats in general, so I wouldn't have really minded spoiling her if I had to, but she basically acts like queen of my fucking apartment, so there's no need to, really."

Dean suddenly had an urge to ask Cas something.

"Hey, um... i-if you don't mind my asking, what's with the tattoos? I mean, you don't really..."

"Fit the personality?" Cas smiled, walking back to him, "You mean, why do I look like a punk when really I'm just a nerd?"

Dean blushed, and Cas laughed a little. "I don't know. I just, kinda found myself through the ink and the piercings. It's a way to represent who I am, y'know?" He pointed to all the different icons on his sleeves- Batman, Superman, hell- Batman V.S. Superman, Harley Quinn, Star Trek stuff, a badass interpretation of Boba Fett, and some non-fandom related lettering across his fingers.

"You should see my back," he added, "Got great big black wings on my shoulders."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "What, is that a Walking Dead reference or something?"

"Nah. I just... felt like it really represented me. Plus, I don't give a fuck if people like it, I like it."

Dean grinned. He loved how confident Cas was. He wished he could be more like that. That got him imagining what it would be like having Cas as an honest-to-god boyfriend; being out with him, having the self-assured guy tell off any jerk who messed with Dean... being able to wake up next to Cas in the morning before his early classes, wrapped in those lithe arms... sharing a coffee with him, even, on a cold day... _ah._

Cas suddenly linked their arms, and Dean's startled face must have been priceless.

"Where to now?" the other asked Dean, leaning in a little close, and Dean swallowed.

"Uh... how about we go to the Marvel booth?" he swallowed, almost unable to hide the remorse in his voice as his false reality shattered.

"Sounds good, Dean."

Dean wanted to ask so much more- wanted to _learn_ so much more. Where Cas was born, what his family was like, how painful it was always having a metal ring through his eyebrow, but he eventually just settled on the golden oldie Jo had taught him.

"Who was your first nerd-crush?" Dean asked. Cas turned, and licked his bottom lip before biting it pensively.

"Uh... well-"

Suddenly, shock went through his face, and he pulled Dean aside. "Look!" he hissed, "It's Maisie Williams!"

"Wh-Who?" Dean stuttered, eyebrows lifting at their close proximity.

"And you call yourself a Game of Thrones fan!"

"Oh... oh, Arya Stark is here? Where?"

"Over there! Fuck me, she's tiny!"

 _Oh, I'd love to fuck you_ , Dean thought, _or preferably, the other way around,_ and if this were some poorly written fanfic he had found on the internet, he would have said that out loud.

"What's the matter?" Cas asked, "You're breathing heavily. You gonna pass out on me over Arya Stark?"

"No," Dean muttered, moving a little farther away. He wished Charlie was there to save him or at least give him some tips.

Cas stared at Dean for a second, then felt his phone vibrate.

"Unfortunately, that's not a vibrator. Sorry, gotta take this," he said, rolling his eyes, and went out through the crowd to the doors.

Dean froze for a moment, then in a rush of panic and inability to hide how attracted he was to this obviously straight guy, he ran. He just took off running, back to the shuttle that he took to his hotel.

Once he got outside though, he heard a voice.

"Dean?"

He whipped around, and saw Cas putting his phone away, frowning.

"Are you okay? Sorry if I was bothering you, you could have just told me if you wanted to leave."

"No!" Dean said quickly, his heart lurching because _in no way ever could this beautiful man possibly bother him_. "No, no, I... I just..." he jerked his thumb back, attempting to think up a good excuse, but one didn't come.

"It's fine," Cas said, waving his hand, "I can be a bit much, I know."

"No, that's..." Dean continued softly, "That's not it. I really like you. I mean," he covered, wiping his brow, "Not... well, I mean, I do, but I know you don't, so I just thought it would be best if..."

"Dean," Cas interrupted, letting a small smile bloom, "I don't give a fuck who you want to... well, fuck... because I-"

_"RISING UP, BACK ON THE STREET.... DID MY TIME, TOOK MY CHANCES..."_

Dean groaned as his phone ringtone went off, and instead of being irritated by the interruption, Cas just looked utterly in awe.

"Eye of the Tiger?! Man, you are awesome."

Dean flushed in what seemed to be a perpetual blush, and Cas smirked. "Your turn. Answer."

Dean looked down, and saw that it was Charlie. Well, who else would be calling him?

He sighed, and swiped it off. He'd have to call her back.

"Nah," Dean shrugged, smiling a little, "Too busy."

Cas grinned, and slung an arm around Dean's shoulder.

This time, Dean didn't really mind.

A little while later, it was dark, and Dean said that he'd better get back to his hotel, since it was a long commute.

"You wanna... ride back on the shuttle together?" Dean asked meekly, shuffling his feet and feeling like a preteen asking for a first date.

Cas considered it, then winced. "Can't. I think I'm gonna stay for the Horror Classics Concept Art panel in room 20A. You could stay with me...?"

Dean bit his lip. "Uh, I'd better get going." He felt bad saying that, since he didn't want this day to end. He had a feeling this would be the last he'd see of his new friend, since how could they possibly find each other again? But he was tired, and he was sure Jo would have a lot to spew about seeing Tom Hiddleston and all.

"Alrighty," Cas mumbled, running a hand through his hair, and damn if that simple gesture didn't make Dean's cock twitch _just_ a little.

"Arms," Dean whispered to himself nonsensically as he stared at Cas' muscles, like a fucking lunatic, and Cas frowned.

"What?"

"Uh, uh, my arms!" Dean stammered, "...Hurt, from carrying... stuff. Today."

Cas nodded slowly, eyes dropping down to the tiny bag Dean was carrying.

"Right. Well..."

 _Well, goodbye,_ Dean anticipated, drawing a long breath. His heart dropped into his stomach, waiting for the inevitable parting.

"Here's my number then. See you tomorrow, yeah?"

Dean's head jerked up, and surprised green eyes met amused blue ones.

"What, you thought I'd run off on you? Comic Con's just begun," Cas grinned, flashing Dean a wink.

Dean didn't know what to make of that, but he did know that he now had a number written across his hand in permie marker.

 _Fuck_ , Dean thought as he watched Cas saunter away, _I am so screwed._

-0-0-0-

"Well, hello hello!" the blonde not-stoner called as Dean let himself into the hotel room.

"Hey Ash," Dean smiled, "Where's Jo?"

"Getting out of her cosplay- she's been dying to-"

"Tell you about my day!" the blonde girl screeched, practically tackling Dean as she flew out of the small bathroom, "Hiddles was huge, Dean! Like, really really tall. And he was sooo sweet, just like Tumblr says!"

Dean couldn't help but grin for her. "I'm happy for you, sweets."

"That makes one of us," Ash grumbled, and he ducked a pillow being thrown his way.

"I, my friend," Ash started, strutting out from his sleeping hideout, "Got an autograph from- wait for it- _Harrison Ford_ today," he said, biting his fist dramatically and then going into a prolonged air guitar riff.

"No way!" Dean chuckled, "Harrison friggin' Ford? That must have been awesome."

"It was, my good man," Ash said, crossing his arms, "He touched my arm. I will never wash this shirt again."

"Right, cause why should you start now?" Jo muttered playfully, and Ash huffed.

"Well, that's just great guys," Dean said, "I'm glad you had such an awesome day."

"Hey, what did you do?" Jo asked, plopping down on her bed, "did you score a hot date?"

Dean smiled a little. "Not exactly."

"What?" Jo asked, eyes widening, "Wait, what does that mean?"

Dean just shook his head. "I had a good day. That's it. Hold on, I'm just gonna call my sis. She's beggin' for a report."

He went out to the balcony before he could be asked anything else, and dialled Charlie's number.

It rang three times, and then the redhead answered.

"Hey loser! What's happening?" she asked, obviously munching on some sort of food.

Dean gazed around at the early evening nightlife of San Diego in the distance. "Stuff."

"You call me to tell me about "stuff"? I could be watching Game Grumps right now, make this worth my while."

Dean picked at his thumbnail nervously. Should he tell her? Was it too small to share? It was obviously, _obviously_ a one-sided thing, so...

Oh god, though, he couldn't keep it to himself. Charlie knew everything about Dean, so it wouldn't hurt sharing this once, no matter how silly.

"Charlie... I met someone."

The chewing on the other line stopped, and she coughed. "Like... SOMEONE someone?!"

"No, just like, someone," Dean assured, "He doesn't even like dudes."

"Oh," Charlie said disappointedly, "Way to get my hopes up, asshat."

"But Charlie, he's just soooo," Dean groaned, "So sexy, god... he's got _tattoos_ and _piercings_ , for Christ's sake! I just want him to push me up against a wall."

"Uh huh," Charlie grunted, "I know the feeling."

"But there's nothing I can do, he's got a girlfriend back home. She's a bitch, apparently, but... damn, he's so unobtainable."

"So what's your damage?"

"I... I don't know... I can't shake these jitters when I think about him."

"You gonna see him again?"

"Yeah, tomorrow. But we're just friends. I think."

"Well," his sister sighed, "Best thing you can do is wait and see how things go. Who knows? You've got the same genes as me, which means you must be ridiculously good looking, so you could _totally_ transform this guy into a raging homosexual in just four days!"

"Uh huh," Dean deadpanned, "Thank you for your infinite wisdom."

"S'what I'm here for," she said, crunching in his ear, "But seriously dude, it's Comic Con. Anything can happen."

Dean nodded to himself. "Yeah. I guess."

"Look, until that day comes when he consensually jumps your bones, I don't want to read about any psycho nerd with your name kidnapping a hot punk guy, okay?"

"I'll keep my hands to myself," Dean mocked, rolling his eyes.

"Bet you hope he won't," Charlie grinned, and Dean blushed all the way down to his toes.

Just then, the sliding door opened, and Jo tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yo! Deanie!" she hissed, "Ash and I are going downtown for some drinks and you're coming with us!"

"Uh, I'd rather n-"

"Shut up, we're leaving in five!"

Dean sighed as the door shut, and shrugged. Well, what the hell. He was in a pretty good mood anyway, and after surviving a day around the hottest guy on earth, he deserved a few rounds. Plus, it would be fun to experience the con nightlife.

"Was that the hottie?" Charlie's voice came over the line again, and Dean jumped. He had forgotten she was still on the phone.

"Um, which one?"

"The blonde chick you're rooming with?"

"Yeah, that was Jo."

"Huh," Charlie mused, giving an appreciative cluck of her tongue.

"Alright horny, I gotta go," Dean snickered, and Charlie snorted.

"Send me a pic."

"No."

"Fine."

"Oh, speaking of which- I saw a Slave Leia today. Thought of you."

"Fuckin' eh. Now go have fun and get smashed, my social butterfly."

Dean scoffed, and wished he could give his sister a hug right then; talking to her always calmed his nerves, and since he could tell her anything, it always took so much weight off of his chest.

"Thanks weirdo," he mumbled, pattering his fingers on the railing.

"Mmf," Charlie replied, mouth full, and Dean just shook his head and smiled as he hung up. He took a deep breath, and went back in.

"Kay," Jo said, "Since none of us have a car, we're taking the blue line shuttle. That way we don't need a designated driver anyway."

Dean nodded, and shook his limbs out a little to get over his nerves. "I'll just get ready in the washroom, and... we can hit it."

"Alrighty," Ash said, snapping his fingers, and Dean went over to his suitcase. He picked a black Darth Vader T-Shirt that was a little tight, but Dean was feeling too good to feel self conscious. Plus, it was dark, so it's not like everyone will be ogling his muscles or anything, which was good.

He pulled some ripped jeans on with those, and grabbed some gel from his bag, running a hand through his hair once. His hair was a little spiky now for his taste, and he kind of looked like a bad boy, but despite how weird he felt looking like this, he kept it that way.

He came out of the bathroom, and Jo's eyes lit up. "You look hot."

"Man," Ash commented, "don't take this the wrong way, but if I was gay, I would totally want a piece of that."

Dean smiled a brilliant grin, and shrugged a hoodie on. "You really think I look okay? Not too over the top?"

"Trust me," Jo mused, "wait 'til you get downtown and you'll see over the top. Oh, you won't be needing the hoodie."

"But-"

"Put it back!"

Dean reluctantly dropped the covering garment, and rubbed his arm self consciously.

"You look great," she reassured him, "You'll be fine. We won't ditch you."

Dean nodded, a little more confidently, and the three left the hotel.

The night was dark, but the nightlife downtown was bright in the Gaslamp District. Everyone was out and about, and all the shops, restaurants, and clubs had big signs saying "Welcome Comic Con Attendees!"

It was great; Dean was overwhelmed, but in a good way. He got checked out more than once, cat called by a few, and even slapped on the ass once, to which Jo had promptly whipped around and called, "Cosplay is not consent, bitch!"

Dean had smirked, and whispered, "I'm not even in cosplay."

"Doesn't matter," she huffed, "Same frickin' idea."

Dean found himself wishing Jo was into girls, just for the sole purpose of getting her and Charlie together so he could have her around. She was really a cool girl.

"This place looks bangin', squad," Ash said, pointing double guns at a club called "Bar Dynamite". They went in, and it was already loud with music.

"Right ON!" Jo yelled, pumping her fist, and Ash led them to the bar. Dean pulled up a bar stool on the other side of the guy, and Ash ordered them something called a "Purple Nurple".

"W-What's a Purple Nurple?" Dean asked, blinking rapidly.

"Haven't you ever read those books, man?" Ash asked him, "Ya know, the ones by that dude... um..."

"Carver Something," Jo commented.

"Yeah, Carver Edlund!" Ash recalled, looking back at Dean, "Supernatural, was the name. All about these two brothers, Sal and Dan, and monsters and stuff. Not many people know it, mind you, but the drink's a reference to those."

"Huh," Dean nodded, making a note to check them out. Sounded cool, he liked monsters.

When the drinks came, they were -surprise- purple, and in tiny shot glasses.

"Here's to..." Ash said, squinting as he raised one, "Like... havin' fun and stuff!"

"I'll drink to that," Dean grinned, and they raised their glasses, tipping them back.

Now, Dean was a total lightweight, since it was not a usual past time for him to go out drinking. The last time he had gotten drunk was when Charlie had turned 18 last year, and that did not end well- mistakes were made, and thoroughly paid for the morning after.

Needless to say, the golden haired young man was hammered by his fourth shot, well into the night later.

"Y'know what's... what's great about tonight?" he slurred, and Jo looked at him.

"What? How we got you to come out with us?"

"Yeah..." he hiccupped, "But also... I just have this overwhelming urge to... just... make out with someone!"

"Yeah?" Jo snorted, raising an eyebrow, "why?"

"Well to be perfectly honest, Joanna, I met this guuuy... and he was like- POW- _hot_ , right? And he had all these tattoos, and he was fuckin' hot... and I think I'm a little worked up..."

Ash laughed. "When was the last time you got this drunk, amigo?"

"Don't know," Dean breathed, scratching his head.

A couple more hours passed. Dean had a few more shots, until the bartender suggested he stop. Dean thankfully took the advice, but he was already sloshed.

Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder. It was a guy with dark hair and a barely-there goatee, shorter than him, and he was dressed in a Joker shirt and jeans; not that bad looking.

"Hey man," he smiled, "I'm Aaron. I was just sitting over there with some friends, and I saw you, and... I was just wondering... I mean, I get it if I'm barking up the wrong tree here, but can't blame a guy for trying right? I think you're kinda cute."

"You do?" Dean slurred to the smooth as honey-voiced man, and Aaron nodded slowly.

"You okay?" he asked, smiling a little.

"Fuck yeah," Dean muttered, and yanked Aaron by his shirt into his lips, kissing him hard.

"OH!" Jo screeched, banging on the bar, "OH!"

Ash patted Dean on the back, and the two locked at the lips stumbled over to a booth in the back, Dean making out with him deeper now.

"Dude... you sure you're not too drunk or something?" Aaron asked, breaking away.

"I... I'm fine..." Dean said, nodding. He then crawled on top of him, and began grinding down into his lap. Aaron's eyebrows shot up at Dean's willingness, but he wasn't complaining.

"Oh... oh yeah," Dean mumbled, head lolling back as a pained expression overtook his face, "Just like that... please, need you in me..."

"Uh..." Aaron said, eyes darting as his hips bucked into Dean's grinding.

"God, yes..." Dean continued, "So sexy... you're so hot, want you... yes, _Cas_ -!"

Aaron stopped, and quirked an eyebrow, and Dean's eyes flew open. He stared down at the man beneath him, and after a few seconds, he felt his stomach lurch.

"I... I'll be right back," he gulped, and ran to the bathroom, needing to throw up.

And that was where that night ended. Jo and Ash were true to their promise; they never abandoned Dean, and Jo even went so far as to go into the male washroom (after lashing out at someone who had tried to stop her) to find Dean, and had helped him out.

"What happened?" she cooed, petting his hair, "No one gave you a roofie, right? Or heroine? Do you feel cold?"

Dean managed a small laugh. "No. Nothing like that... I just... I'm stupid, that's all. Drank too much... I guess I'm a horny drunk... made a fool of myself with some random guy who probably actually liked me... fuck..."

Jo had sighed, and helped him up, bringing him out of the club. Ash had followed, and the two had walked him to the bus.

"This... is why I don't go out," Dean mumbled, stumbling a little.

"Do you... do you think it had anything to do with that guy you were talking about at the bar?" Jo asked softly, "with the tattoos?"

Dean was still for a second. "I mentioned him?" Damn. He must like Cas more than he thought. There was just something _about_ the guy... Jesus, he'd only known him two days and now he was a begging slut for a _"friend"?!_

Jo and Ash looked at each other, then simply helped their friend into the bus.

"Sorry I ruined your night, guys," he said, pressing his head against the window of the bus.

"No problemo whatsoever, Dean-o!" Ash said, shaking his head, "It was probably for the best anyway; we gotta get up mucho early tomorrow."

Jo nodded in agreement, and Dean sighed again, wondering how much he let slip about Cas. Maybe he should just forget Charlie's advice... Dean seemed to keep forgetting the part about Cas being straight.

Why should he pretend any longer?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two and a half months before Comic Con!! Finally, an *almost* smutty chapter ;)

It was a bright, sunny day in San Diego, full of hope and promise and geekdom as con-goers flocked to the convention centre in hoards of over-excited chatter.

_“Did you catch that-“_

_“Yeah, that one was-“_

_“Tonight’s the big-“_

_“Maybe we’ll see-“_

Phrases were tossed around as Dean rode the trolley, keeping to himself as he checked his phone. He had a bunch of messages of encouragement from Charlie, but none from Cas yet. Maybe he had forgotten…

Just then, Dean’s phone buzzed, and he checked it quickly. It was him!

 _Meet outside Hall D, yeah?_ It said.

But something at the end of the message made Dean pause… and hyperventilate. 

There was a puckered lips emoji. But like, it wasn’t the full on kissy face emoji with the heart that came along with it, it was the halfway there one, with just the lips in formation of a kiss.

_What did this mean? Maybe it was just a term of endearment… Did Cas want to kiss Dean? No, Cas had a girlfriend… But what was that emoji about? Maybe it was just a friendly friendship-type thing. Yeah, had to be. But still…_

Dean shoved his phone in his pocket, attempting to calm his beating heart. _Wait… was he supposed to write back? Yeah, he should, it would be rude not to._

He pulled out his phone again, and cringed. _Maybe I’ll just send back the puckered lips one in return? No, that seems too cutesy boyfriend copycat. Maybe the actual kissy face, with the heart and everything? Oh, no, not that one, it’ll be way too overly-shoving-it-in-your-face-gay. Maybe the flexed muscle emoji? Because Comic Con and superheroes and stuff? No, that might insinuate homoerotic fantasies about his body instead…_

He growled in frustration, and sent back a freakin’ thumbs up. _God._

The pleasant voice spoke over the trolley system, alerting passengers they had arrived at the convention centre stop. Dean got up wearily, picking up his big con bag and tucking his phone away again.

But he actually found himself beginning to smile as he walked out into the sun. _Hey- I’m attending the third day of Comic Con,_ he thought to himself with a blossoming grin, _I should be stoked out of my mind._

So he hoisted his bag a little higher, and crossed the street to the con centre. Looking up, he determined where he could find Hall D, and saw it a few paces down from where he was standing. He idly wondered what nerdy thing Cas would be wearing today… he, himself, had opted to throw on a blue “Most Illogical,” shirt with Spock wearing glasses.

He found Cas leaning against the wall, his hair coloured with streaks of hot pink today. He was wearing a black t-shirt that said “Keep Calm and Expelliarmus” with a wand and a yellow lightning bolt on it. Dean approached, and smiled.

“Morning, Cas.”

“Good morning, Dean,” Cas said, grinning, “Love your shirt.”

Dean blushed. “Thanks… I love yours too. Harry Potter rocks.”

"Sure does."

Cas stood from leaning against the wall, and took out the day’s schedule. “What do you think? Should we do the AHS Hotel Fear FX Arena?”

Dean froze up. “Uhm… b-by AHS, you mean…”

“American Horror Story,” Cas said slowly, a smile playing at his lips, “Have you never seen it?”

“God no,” Dean balked, “My sister’s in love with it- and in love with the blonde chick there, Emma Roberts, even though she's a god awful actress. She forced me to sit and watch one episode with her one night, convincing me there’s this really hot Peter Evans guy or something that _I_ might like-“

“Evan Peters,” Cas added, shaking his head.

“Yeah, him. And sure, he was hot, but you know what wasn’t hot? Emma Roberts getting sawed in half by a manic sparkly ventriloquist!”

Cas chuckled. “That was a good death.”

“That was not a good death,” Dean whined, and Cas out a hand on his shoulder.

“That was last season, Dean. This season’s different, there are no ventriloquists. That I know of.”

“Yay,” Dean croaked, “what is this one?"

"Hotel."

"Oh what, is it gonna be dead bellhops this time?”

“I hope so,” Cas grinned, and Dean sighed as Cas dragged him over to the marina area for the attraction.

They made it there, but it didn’t look open. Cas went up, and asked the security volunteer what was up.

“We’re not open yet,” he explained, and Dean exhaled in relief.

“Oh, thank Zeus.”

“-We open at 10 PM.”

Dean choked, and Cas laughed devilishly. “Thank you, good sir. See you then!”

Dean whimpered, staring up at the entrance, then went to follow Cas, who was on his way back to the centre.

“What are we doing until then?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know. Did we cover the whole floor?”

“We might not have finished it in its entirety… we should go see if the Marvel line’s any more bearable.”

“Yeah, or the Funko line.”

They both looked at each other at that last comment, and burst out laughing. Cas slung an arm around Dean’s shoulder, and they walked. Dean relaxed into Cas’ arm around him, and wondered if this was normal for friends. Cas seemed to be a very physical person anyway, so it was probably just natural for him to do this.

“Maybe after the AHS thing tonight, we could wait for a Sails Pavilion signing for tomorrow morning,” Dean suggested, “The cast of The 100.” Cas shrugged.

“Yeah, good idea. But I think getting up early, around 5, is a better idea, so we don’t have to wait overnight again.”

Dean smiled. “Okay.”

They headed over to the floor, where they saw some awesome cosplay today. Cas pointed out a great Deadpool and also saw a Daenerys, and Dean just _had_ to get his picture with the coolest Batman he had ever seen.

-0-0-0-

“9:59,” Cas grinned deviously, nudging Dean, “It's tiiime!"

Dean swallowed, and followed as Cas led them back to the marina. The lights of the Hilton lit the grassy area in a very spooky way, and Dean really _really_ didn't want to go in.

"Um... I-" Dean began, but he didn't want to say he was scared.

"I know, but it'll be fun!" Cas supplied, and they walked over.

"Dude, I'm seriously freaking out," Dean mumbled, "I had nightmares after the Red Wedding episode!"

"Anybody would have nightmares after that," Cas scoffed, thinking back to the infamous Game of Thrones episode.

"I really don't want you to think I'm a wimp. I mean... I'm not one. I can totally do this, but... I'm..."

Cas looked at Dean. "We don't have to."

Dean stared long and hard at Cas before sighing. "Well... at least dead bellhops are indifferent to my choice of wardrobe."

Cas laughed, and they went into the attraction. Screams echoed down the halls of the mock hotel, and Dean found himself clutching onto the punk beside him.

"You're okay?" Cas asked, thumb rubbing Dean’s arm, and Dean nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm- SON OF A BITCH!" Dean yelled as he saw a bunch of jars with body parts. Each of the jars had a label that outlined a commandment from the bible. "Well this is friggin' creepy," he mumbled, "Charlie would love this place."

"I'd like to meet your sister," Cas laughed, threading his fingers through Dean's. The taller man gulped, but the fact that he was holding Cas’ hand made the rest of the maze that much more tolerable.

When they made it out- alive, evidently- Dean let out a huge breath... and grinned.

"That was pretty fun, man."

"It was," Cas smiled, and yawned. "I don't normally get tired early, but... I'm smashed. If we're gonna get up early for the signing, I should probably get back to the hotel now."

Dean hesitated. His heart ached at the thought of saying goodbye to Cas- someone he hardly even knew!- and it was driving him crazy. He wanted to be around him all the time.

"Where are you staying?" Cas asked absently as they walked back toward the vicinity of the convention center. There was some sort of flash mob going on with a bunch of people dressed like Agent Carter.

"Oh, a ways down the blue line," Dean muttered, zipping his stuff into his bag in preparation for the ride home.

"You wanna stay over at mine?"

Dean stopped in his tracks. "Y-you... your hotel?"

"No, my castle. Yeah, Dean, _my hotel_ \- it's only a few blocks down from here. I decided to go all out on the accommodation, so I got a really good hotel. And, I... sorta planned the trip before my girlfriend bailed, so I’s a pretty big room. Two can stay."

Dean's stomach flip-flopped. "I'd love to!” Anxiety kicked in. “I really don't want to bother you, though..."

"Dean, you're basically my best friend now. We've shared toothpaste, hugged, and platonically slept together. I'm pretty sure we can share a room."

Dean blushed. "Okay. Thanks so much."

Cas nodded. "No sweat. Here, follow me."

Once they made it back to Cas' hotel, Dean bit his lip.

"I didn't bring any stuff..."

"Use whatever you want. Set your stuff up on the bed, if you want."

Dean sat down on the edge of the bed- just until Cas got out of the bathroom, really- and turned the TV on. An old series one rerun of Torchwood was on, and Dean smiled nostalgically.

"I loved this show."

Cas popped his head out of the bathroom. "Torchwood! Me too!! Oh yay, this is the best one, Countrycide!" He came padding out, shirtless, as Dean tried not to notice his Captain America tramp stamp as Cas slipped his sleeping shirt on. Then, he came and sat down beside Dean, settling in to watch the show. Dean relaxed back a little as well, watching both the show and Cas out of the corner of his eye.

"You must like Harkness," Cas commented, breaking out some m&ms.

"Who _wouldn't_?" Dean snorted, accepting the handful Cas passed him.

"Actually, I always thought Owen was the hottest," Cas remarked pensively through an endearing squint and head tilt.

"Owen Harper?" Dean deadpanned, missing the fact entirely that Cas had just admitted to liking a guy, "C'mon, man. Why him?"

"Owen got such a bad rap! He was just so sassy, and... I don't know, sexy, in a way, y’know?"

_Oh god. Hearing Cas say that about another man was just…_

Dean crossed his legs, and Cas looked over. Cas’ gaze flickered down Dean’s lips, and Dean coughed; their close proximity suddenly got very stifling.

"Want me to fill up the ice bucket?"

Cas shook his head. "We've got enough."

"Your, um, phone's ringing..."

"That's just the TV."

"Oh."

"Dean," Cas said, and Dean looked down.

"I’m sorry, I’m just really awkward," Dean blurted, and Cas turned the TV off just as the cannibals were gagging Ianto.

"Don't be. It's adorable as fuck."

"I-"

“Dean, don’t worry about it,” Cas muttered, his voice lower in his throat this time. Dean looked into those blue eyes as Cas smiled at him.

This was going to be a long night.


End file.
